.38 Defense Ammo

[pharman]

Western 38 Special 200 grain Lubaloy

I use Western 38 Special 200 grain Lubaloy...kind of hard to find it...not made anymore...awesome looking 200 grain bullet...was told it was used in certain sheriff's departments for its stopping power...

 

[Old cop]

During my 30 year LEO days I had to use my duty weapon more than once. Our issued load was the 158 +P HP or FBI load and all I know is that it worked. My EDC is the M&P 340 and I have the Speer 135 grain in it now b/c I got a box in a recent trade.

 

[Bill In Texas]

I vote for the Speer Short Barrel 135 grain +p's. I like the fact that they feel to me like the 158 grain FMJ's that I practice with among other things, like expansion and penetration!

Another plus is that Doctor Gary K. Roberts recommends them!

Oh, and they seem to shoot to POA in all my .38 and .357 snubbies!

 

[sigp220.45]

I use Western 38 Special 200 grain Lubaloy...kind of hard to find it...not made anymore...awesome looking 200 grain bullet...was told it was used in certain sheriff's departments for its stopping power...

Hahaha, great minds think alike!

I carry 1200 grains of lead in my old Detective Special. Why? Because I like them!

Also, if I pop off a round at someone by mistake, I can jog after the bullet and knock it down before it does any damage.

 

[photoman]

Those of you who are suggesting the standard pressure… Do you believe there is a detriment to using the plus P, or do you just believe you won't get much out of it? I don't think there's much if any difference in price

Less recoil. Easier to control. Just as accurate. Probably a slight sacrifice in penetration but I'm ok with that.

 

[38splfan]

I have two different ammo selections based on the gun. For my home defense gun, I have a 15-4 loaded with the Buffalo Bore 158 LSWCHP +p load. From a 4" barrel they are right at 1100fps with my model 15.

For a J frame I carry the 135+p Gold Dots that I found in a 50rd box at a local gun store. They are marked Law Enforcement but I think they're the same as the ones that come in the 20 round box.

It really goes down to what you want to shoot recoilwise and what the platform is. My Father-in-law has his model 15 stoked with 110 critical defense because he likes the silly light recoil, and both of us doubt anyone will enjoy being plugged with one of those.

 

[Sgt Neutron]

I have the Buffalo Bore 158 gr. SWCHP+P loaded in my M-65 nightstand gun. These are loaded about 200 fps or so faster than the Federal, Winchester, Remington, etc. 158 gr. +P load. I tried shooting these in my 15 oz. 642, and it is a handful(i.e., don't count on any quick followup shots). I keep the Speer Gold Dot 135 gr. in summer, and Federal 158 gr. Nyclad SWCHP+P in winter for my 642.
Whatever load you want to carry, shoot a few cylinders to get a feel for the load.

 

[CA Escapee]

I use Speer Gold Dot Short Barrel 38 Special +P 135 grain. It will be marked "Short Barrel" on the box. It is only available in 135 gr.
Speer does make a Gold Dot 38 Special +P for standard barrels but it only comes in 125 gr. The box is not marked "Short Barrel."

You can differentiate the two cartridges by sight. The Short Barrel has a hollow-point bullet that is divided into seven segments while the standard version is divided into six.

The boxes of Short Barrel ammo, regardless of caliber, will have a silhouette of a pistol and a revolver in the corner of the end flap, too.

Bill

 

[wrangler5]

Buffalo Bore also offers a standard pressure 158g SWCHP for use in guns not rated +P. Over my chronograph, out of the same 2" 640 that round matches exactly the velocity of Remington's +P load with the same bullet.

The Remington loads are unpleasant enough to shoot that I wouldn't want to carry the even hotter BB +Ps, and since the Remingtons are less than half the price, they're what I occasionally practice with, and what live in my daily carry 38s.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Does it have another name without "short barrel" in it? Or is all of their 135 gr hollow points by default for short barrels? I've never seen any with "short barrel" in the name.

The 135gr GDHP bullet was specifically designed to reliably expand at the lower velocities associated with short barrel revolvers. There is only one 135gr .357 GDHP bullet made by Speer and its used in both the short barrel .38 Special +P and .357 Magnum ammo. I think the number is 800 fps for that bullet.

 

[MarkB]

Has anyone tried the new Ruger ARX 38 Special ammo? It's a standard pressure round that has low reciol and gets 12" to 13" penetration in ballistic gel. It uses hydrostatic pressure to get a good wound cavity. The video says it appears to be "barrier blind" inn penetration. See the video here.

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsHtyHCvnYI"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsHtyHCvnYI[/ame]

 

[el_bradfordo]

I really appreciate all the input... a lot of food for thought

 

[ContinentalOp]

Gel results are definitely something to consider, but I prefer to choose rounds that have a good track record in actual shootings, too.

My first choice is the Speer 135gr SB-GDHP (all 135gr Gold Dots are the short-barrel version) and my second choice is the FBI load, with BB standard pressure being my preferred version.

There may be more modern loads available than the FBI load, and it may not perform ideally in gel, but I don't think one should ignore the long track record this type of load has made in LE.

If I couldn't find those loads, I would go with whatever modern, medium-to-heavy-weight HP with a good reputation for reliability I could find.

As far as +P versus standard pressure, I do think that +P can be worth it in .38 snubs. The caveats are that 1) the gun can handle it, and 2) the shooter can handle it. FWIW, even though BB says their FBI load is standard pressure, I treat it as +P because of the velocities it generates.

 

[6518John]

Hahaha, great minds think alike!

I carry 1200 grains of lead in my old Detective Special. Why? Because I like them!

Also, if I pop off a round at someone by mistake, I can jog after the bullet and knock it down before it does any damage.

Pharman/Sig--This is what my dad carried in his 3 inch Md 36. You are taking me back. Rounds always reminded me of some black-powder load. He also liked the old 220 grain round nose in his 30-06. Have not seen those lately either.